Due Sept 08: The one where we pack our bags and write our birth plan.

[mamamufin]

I thought I would be brave

Arrivals!
28-May - Johnworf ? Katherine, 1lb 8oz
30-June ? KashaSarrasin ? DS2, 1.39kg

Counting down the days:
25-Aug - Excitable - age 31 - North Lancashire - first baby
30-Aug - Gracie14 - age 26 - Berkshire - BOY
31-Aug - Sassafrass - age 31 - east midlands - DD 3 - GIRL
31-Aug - Sunshinemummy - age 38 - SW London - DS 2.2m - GIRL
01-Sep - Talia1 - age 29 - Leeds/Buxton - 1st baby - GIRL
02-Sep - expatmom2be - age 28 - London - 1st baby - GIRL(?)
02-Sep - Fandango - age 31 - Cheshire - DD 11m
03-Sep - KashaSarrasin - age 38 - N Yorks - DS 3 - *Surprise!Boy?&
03-Sep - Debithescot - age 27 - North Hampshire - DS 25m - SURPRISE
03-Sep - Jenpet - Brittany, France - DS 6
04-Sep - Lollipopmother - age 26 - Oxford - 1st baby - GIRL
04 -Sep - Meglet - age 34 - North Hampshire - DS born Nov 06 - GIRL, planned c-section
06 Sep - Lilapple - age 37 - North London - first baby - surprise!
06-Sep - Potxola - Age 41 - Exeter - DS 3.6 - GIRL
6-09 Sep - Starlight - age 32 - Herts - DS 13m - GIRL
06-Sep - Kagey - age 30 - Kent - first baby - GIRL
07 - Sep - Leenie - age 36 - south london - 3rd baby
09-Sep - Hopefully - age 25 - West Sussex - first baby - Surprise!
09-Sep - Kirstygem - Norfolk - DD 19m
10-Sep - kiki21 - age 32 - Southeast London - first baby
10-Sep - Lollyheart - age26 - basingstoke - dd3,ds17 months - BOY
10-Sep - MrsElle28 - age 28 - Yorkshire - First baby - BOY
10-Sep - Workstostaysane - London - DD 17m
12-Sep - Mustsleep - age 27 - ds 6.8, dd 2.10 - yorkshire - BOY
12-Sep - Biglips - age 33 - Liverpool - DD3 - SURPRISE - girl???
13-Sep - Lulu15 - 1DC
13-Sep - mama2bee - age 34 - South London - first baby
13-Sep - mumiyumi-age 35- Warwickshire -DS 2.9 - suprise
13 Sep - notcitrus - first baby - South London - BOY
14-Sep - Crabby - first baby - Cambridge - GIRL
14-Sep - kel78 - age 29 - dd1 3, dd2 8
15-Sep - ellideb - age 24 - North Wales - 1st baby - BOY
15-Sep - Bogie - age 20 - DS2 - GIRL
15-Sep - Goldiewithabump - age 26 - London - 1st baby - BOY
16-Sep - BikeRunSki - age 37 - W Yorks - First baby - BOY
16-Sep - Surelyyoucantbeserious - age 30 - s. London - first baby
17-Sep - LumpyBumpyThingy - age 23 - W.Sussex - 1st Baby - GIRL
18-Sep - MelT76 - age 31 - Staffs - 1st baby - BOY
18-Sep - Becaroo - age 35 - ds aged 4 - derbyshire - BOY
18-Sep - mamamufin - age 28 - Yorks - DS 3 - BOY
19-Sep - barnpot - age 27 - west yorks - 1st baby - BOY
19-Sep - kiskidee - dd 3 - Durham. - - GIRL
19-Sep - LeonieD - age 31 - Sutton Coldfield - DD 4.2
19-Sep - Naturalblonde - age 28 - N. Somerset - DD 1.4
19-Sep - Lilypink - age 31 - Suffold - DD 19m
20-Sep - emandz - age 24 - NW London - 1st baby - BOY
20-Sep - imoscarsmum - age 35 - Cheshire/North Wales Boarder - first baby - Surprise!
20-Sep - izzybiz - age 31 - Winchester - DS 15, DD 3.8 - BOY
20-Sep - Jenbot - age 28 - Herts - 1st baby
20-Sep - Treadmillmom - aged 37 - West Midlands - DS1 5, DS2 2 - GIRL
21-Sep - Charitygirl - age 30 - SW London - first baby
22-Sep - jearund - age 35 - South West - DD 15 months - BOY
22-Sep - Luboo - age 31 - Hants - DD 14m
22-Sep - MummyToOneForNow - dd 14mths
22-Sep - Slinkiemalinki - age 31 - West London - dd 2.1 - BOY
22-Sep - kgirl - age 25 - 1st baby - Herts
23-Sep - digitalgirl - age 29 - North London - first baby
23-Sep - feelingpositive - age 31 - Edinburgh - DD 21m - GIRL
23-Sep - LouiseAnn - age 40 - Guildford - ds 8yo - BOY
23-Sep - Blimey - age 40 - South London - DS 5, DS 3 - BOY
24-Sep - Ninja - age 37 - Manchester - DD 4.5
26-Sep - MissusH - age 35 - S.Derbys - dd, 5.8
26-Sep - Pitufina - age 29 - 2nd baby - ds, 3.5 - surprise! - South wales
27-Sep - Inquisitive - age 31 - Berks - 1st baby - BOY
27-Sep - pidge - age 37 - London - 2 dds age 5.5 and 2.10 - Surprise!
27-Sep - Jennylindinha - age 36 - London - first baby - Surprise!
28-Sep - Carrieon - age 28 - York - dd 12 months - Surprise!-Boy??
28-Sep - LittleConnie - age 33 - West London - 1st baby - Surprise!
28-Sep - splishsplosh - age 37 - London - dd 2
29-Sep - WombFor1More - age 26 - Kent - DS 6, DS 4, DD 10months - BOY
30-Sep - Ninja - age 37 - Manchester - DD 4.5

Thought I would take the leap and join the list. x

aha hopefully they are what i meant! see i have no idea at all

am getting really narked off this afternoon, as soon as ds gets home from school he and dd start winding each other up and then she starts screeching - was looking forward to dh getting home from work for 4.30 but no he is sitting watching his "lift" fix someones toilet for them ffs! hormones ehh?

am off to midwifes next week for check up and then i believe the appt after that she will do a home visit

does anyone know what this will consist of? will she want to see the bedroom cos we are really untidy and she may say that it will be a health risk for a newborn to be kept there

ive gotta say that i thought i was the only one who was moody today as Dp ordered me to have a bath this afternoon cos i was snapping at everyone.....i woke up feeling totally shattered!.

thanks starlight all being well am defo having a homebirth and really looking forward to it

WOOOOOOOOO! I finished work today! Thank goodness thats over with. Had a nightmare day, everyone else left me to cover the phones so by the time they all got back I had accumulated a huge pile of urgent stuff to be sorted out and couldn't actually finish off my work and stayed for an extra hour . At least it's done now.

Next week will be organising-tastic! Lots of errands to run, but at least I haven't got to worry about work taking up my time.

LOL at mustsleeps messy house panic. I'd assume that as long as you don't actually have rats lurking in your house then they aren't that worried.

As I think I said before, I finally got a letter from St Georges saying I could have the baby anywhere as long as there were cardiac facilities available for me, just in case.

So, saw the registrar at my local on Wednesday, and she said fine, and speak to the MLU to see if they will take me.

Then I had my appointment with the anaesthetist today, just in case I need an anaesthetic for any reason, and he wasn't happy because he says the cardiac facilities at my hospital aren't good because they're short staffed. So he wants me to go to another hospital for the birth. His suggestion is St Georges because they see me for my heart, but there are other options.

So - please can you help - anyone got anything positive or negative to say about:

St Georges
Chelsea and Westminster
Queen Charlotte
Guys & St Thomas'
Kings

Then I can make my choice. I'm a bit annoyed / upset as it's just going to mean more appointments, more travelling and generally even more inconvenience. And since my last tests looked pretty normal, and I don't get symptoms very often these days, it's pretty unlikely I'll have any problems.

Hi Splishsplosh,

I'm a bit biased as I work for Tommies but I have heard really good things about the treatment and it scored the best in London last year. I only know a couple of people who have had their babies there and they said it was a good experience, but I have read posts that are not so positive.

It may be worth having a look at Tommies, Kings and C&W. Unfortunately I live a little too far for Tommies, so local hospital for me.

Best wishes for your choice.
Kx

Its friday again girls . Not many left now.
Welcome cat
Sorry I cant help with hosp info Splishycongrats on finishing work meg* its such a relief isnt it.
ponymum could you maybe dye the stockings Pink x

Thanks for the cuppa earlier sunshine you must let me know when I can do you one
Hope you moods have lifted biglips and hopefully.
Hi Goldie you must think we are big grumps here!
Oh and Ive just checked and I am measuring bang on a 30cm bump (from top to bottom). Grin. How amazing I am right on target and did not think I was that big . Does it matter that we were all probably different sizes to start with?

ooh yes im ok now as was watching "britains got Talents" on youtube.....it was so funny!!

thanks for asking.

i think it was more of "i wanna go out clubbing and get drunk" but im too knackered!! so i was feeling bored today.

Hi all, just joined Mumsnet and finding my feet. Firstborn due Sept 03, am I in the right place?

Helen

Hi Helen
You certainly are in the right place . What date are you due?

Er, well they /say/ it's September 3rd, but I reckon it ought to be 7th, going by my own workings-out of dates. With somewhere less than 5% of babies born on their due date, we'll have to see who's right! (Everyone's telling me if s/he looks like putting in an appearance before the end of August, to cross my legs, so s/he's born in the next school year... yeah right!)

I am really tired today. Dh got rockband for his birthday so we were up late playing yesterday. It was really good fun but the baby wasn't too keen on the guitar and kept kicking it.

morning everyone

went to ikea last night there was no sale not that i noticed anyway! maybe the sale has not lasted as long in th leeds one?

anyway i bought the cot £29 seems reasonable to me! and we got the chairs and loads of other stuff (my dad had to take the seats out of his car to fit it all in ...opps although it would appear that i got alittle carried away and according to dh have "no spacial awareness" as we need to tak the footstool back and the coffee table i bought is far too big but at least that's some cash back and i get to go again today!!

sassafrass is it really good? we have guitar hero and love it but dh is just dying to get rockband ( i think he wants to have a go on the drums )

Mustsleep, we had a really good time on it yesterday. We'll be going over to friends who have a seperate partybarn!, to play today so we can have the sound up really loud. The guitar bit is almost identical to guitar hero. The drums are very cool and very hard I thought. Dh got the hang of it a lot quicker though. Singing was fun too, although not as good as singstar if you've tried that. The best bit was definately playing together though.

We have the same cot that you got from Ikea and used for dd1. It was really good and last year I thinkit was, it was one of the few cots that passed some very rigorous safety testing, so it's both cheap and safe! You'll love the chairs, I sit in mine everyday, it's so relaxing for the back.

Hi splishy Queen Charlotte's is my local hospital but I moved to the area too late to register there (it's v popular). All the girls from my yoga class have nothing but praise for the place and it's got a fantastic reputation for it's specialist maternity care. Not sure how much of a trek this would be for you though.

Welcome to the newbies and have a great holiday carrieon

Thanks Kagey and Littleconnie for your feedback.
The anaesthetist said that a hospital wouldn't be able to refuse me as the referral would be on medical grounds rather than simply choice, so I hope it doesn't matter how popular it is.
Last time round my labour was only about 5 hours, so if it's that fast / faster again, it could be an issue having to travel far.
It seems so late to be trying to choose a hospital! My doula says she's heard good things about Kings, and that's not too far. Why isn't it just simple!!!! I'm feeling so frustrated!

Also I'm hoping to go away for a week or 2 in a couple of weeks time so dd and I don't have to camp out here while the house is re-wired and the kitchen re done. Another complication to all this referral / appointment business.

Welcome to the newcomers by the way

Welcome to new people!

Splish I'm sure that since you've heard good things about all of them you've got a fairly good chance of having a good birth at all of them, so perhaps you don't need to stress too much about a decision. Have you checked the birthchoice (I think it's that one...) for info on them all? Just to confuse you further.

Going on a tour of our hospital's maternity unit today, am terrified I'll hear some poor woman in labour and be completely put off the whole thing!

Hmm, was going to hang laundry out, but has just clouded over and looks like rain again. I hate having to have everything draped around the house.

so i cry every time i see a little baby.

So do I eandz I cant wait to meet my little man.
No rain this end so far. I have been to a kids birthday party this morning (at one of those wacky warehouse places), then our village summer fair before going to another local village one. I am shattered now. Dh has just lit the BBQ- I am craving burnt sausages!

Just back from my hospital tour. I'm so glad I went! Labour ward looks lovely, all modern moveable beds etc, really big rooms with plenty of space to move around as necessary, birthing balls in each room, mattresses available to put on the floor etc etc. Post natal ward also looked really nice, they have individual rooms on a first come first served, but they've also nearly finished refurbishing the new ward, which has lots of space and en suite showers in every cubicle, so doesn't really matter if I get a private room or not! Midwives were all lovely, really keen to make labour as positive experience as possible, with as little intervention and as much following of birth plan as possible, while being realistic about the chance of intervention. It sounds bonkers, but it's made me really look forward to labour! (ps, I know how awful it will be, but it just seemed such a nice environment to give birth in)